Strudul Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 (edited) One of my sidelights has stopped working, so I'm looking for some replacements. Currently using some 15 SMD LED ones (see below), but they were a pain to install due to being very long and requiring removal of the headlight assembly and therefore front bumper. To save hassle, I'd like some that can be swapped out through the wheel arch, but not sure which would be short enough. Can anyone recommend some short ones that'll do the job? Ideally bright white and with no polarity. Cheers Edited April 13, 2017 by Strudul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay84 Posted April 14, 2017 Share Posted April 14, 2017 I've got those. It was a fiddle but got them fitted in situ without bumper removal. Didn't even need to put on a ramp. The issue with the shorter ones is they don't have a cambus (or something) so flicker. I found i easier to unplug the wire, fit the bulb then reconnect wire. Standard 501s fit too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikky Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 I extended the wires on the connectors instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88 Zed Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Any LED bulb will have to be fitted with the correct polarity I think? I've had many in the past but found they all last about a month before they start flickering, stumped up about £15 in the end and bought some proper RING 501 shaped LED's. Had no problems with them so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Any LED bulb will have to be fitted with the correct polarity I think? I've had many in the past but found they all last about a month before they start flickering, stumped up about £15 in the end and bought some proper RING 501 shaped LED's. Had no problems with them so far. All normal LED's are polarity sensitive yes, ....BUT a company has designed new LED's which aren't polarity sensitive. Just Googled it and the company is Truck-Lite. I totally agree with you 88 Zed as buying quality LED's in the first place will save you a load of hassle. I went through two sets in under a year before I finally got a decent set which seemed to last better. I believe Phillips 501 LED's are excellent quality around the £15 mark (not too big either). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88 Zed Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Any LED bulb will have to be fitted with the correct polarity I think? I've had many in the past but found they all last about a month before they start flickering, stumped up about £15 in the end and bought some proper RING 501 shaped LED's. Had no problems with them so far. All normal LED's are polarity sensitive yes, ....BUT a company has designed new LED's which aren't polarity sensitive. Just Googled it and the company is Truck-Lite. I totally agree with you 88 Zed as buying quality LED's in the first place will save you a load of hassle. I went through two sets in under a year before I finally got a decent set which seemed to last better. I believe Phillips 501 LED's are excellent quality around the £15 mark (not too big either). Really? I wonder how they managed that? And yea you get what you pay for really, you can get 5 for a few £ on eBay but they will more than likely turn out to be crap soldered together by a 7 year old haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Really? I wonder how they managed that? And yea you get what you pay for really, you can get 5 for a few £ on eBay but they will more than likely turn out to be crap soldered together by a 7 year old haha No idea and I did look but couldn't find the answer. All they say is... By nature, LED lights are polarity-sensitive. If the voltage is of the wrong polarity, it is said to be reverse-biased. Very little current will flow, and the device will not light up. Truck-Lite has developed LED lights that are not polarity-sensitive. Source: https://www.truck-lite.com/content/faq/are-your-led-lights-polarity-sensitive I guess they want to keep that secret to themselves for now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strudul Posted April 20, 2017 Author Share Posted April 20, 2017 Polarity... It's not magic (at least no more than electronics already is...) They just use a simple bridge rectifier circuit. My current set have "no" polarity and many others do too, including cheap ebay ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88 Zed Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 Polarity... It's not magic (at least no more than electronics already is...) They just use a simple bridge rectifier circuit. My current set have "no" polarity and many others do too, including cheap ebay ones. So there is just another component soldered into the unit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strudul Posted April 21, 2017 Author Share Posted April 21, 2017 So there is just another component soldered into the unit? Yup, same way they regulate voltage and avoid CAN bus errors etc. Just all the gubbins (resistors / diodes) in the highlighted bits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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